1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pallets for storing and transporting rolls of thin plastic tubing wrapped around a circular core. More particularly, the invention relates to a symmetrical pallet having openings in the deck to accommodate the ends of the core of the roll of film so that the pallets can be stacked one atop another in a stable package.
2. Background Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,102 discloses a pallet assembly designed to support coils of sheet metal, sheet paper, or barrels and the like. The design is simple and relies upon a special notching that works to interconnect four pieces of square wood in a manner which provides a pallet structure without the use of nails.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,655 discloses a pallet designed to carry products that take the form of flat sheets, such as sheet steel and drywall material. A unique feature of the design is the use of three stringers wherein the center stringer has less vertical height than the outboard stringers. When loaded, the weight of the load on the pallet causes the center of the pallet to drop due to the less tall center stinger. The resulting bow in the material acts to tilt the load toward the center of the pallet and thus resists the tendency of the flat sheets to slide off the pallet during pallet transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,757 discloses a pallet designed to store and transport bagged material. The pallet design includes a flat upper surface upon which two spacers are placed prior to the placement of bags upon the pallet. After the pallet is stacked with the bags, a compression device pushes downward on the bags to cause the bags to interlock and form around the spacers. The spacers act to keep the bags from sliding off of the pallet and are removed when a fork lift is used to lift the load of bags from the pallet by inserting the forks of the lift into the openings left after the spacers are removed.
The device in U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,786 is a pallet designed to store and transport piping material. The pallet has a flat upper surface which has two stop cleats on two opposite sides of the pallet. The two stop cleats act as barriers which contact the longitudinal surface of the piping to prevent the piping from rolling off the pallet. A strap is used to contain higher levels of piping on the pallet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,051 discloses a pallet having a number of U-shaped retainers for holding loose material onto the upper surface of the pallet and to add strength to the pallet structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,435 shows a pallet design which consists of a number of pallet styles which can be constructed from waste material. Apparently, the purpose of the designs is to prevent the needless destruction of our national forests.